In a new type of lynda.com course, I set aside the software training and talk with veteran video editors about their projects, workflows, and philosophies.

The first three subjects in Conversations in Video Editing are Steve Audette, documentary editor at PBS Frontline; Jesse Averna, current Disney editor and former Sesame Street editor; and Monica Daniel, L.A.-based freelance editor.

Each of them is immensely talented in the craft of video post-production, and in this discussion series, we get a taste of how they do their jobs, talking about everything from collaborating in the cutting room to specific editing workflows to understanding audience and intent.

Best of all, each editor screens several recent projects and treats us with detailed scene analysis—breaking down how they approached the edit.

My new course Introduction to Video Editing weaves targeted technical instruction with the art and aesthetics of film editing—using classic and contemporary examples from the last century of cinema.

Whether you’re a video-editing novice or you just need a refresher on aesthetics, you can dive right in to learn just how important the editor’s role is within the storytelling process. You’ll also learn how to follow the rules of editing—and how to break them.

This article will give you a taste of the course by showing how a good editor maintains continuity.

A growing number of teachers are incorporating social media into their lesson plans—and I’m one of them.

It’s been great to see students really embrace some innovative ways of expression through apps like Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and WordPress—creating and curating images and ideas while interacting with their world outside of the classroom. It helps us teachers break down classroom walls and class-time barriers as students learn and reflect by using tools on their mobile devices.

When working in large video-editing projects, you constantly need to locate various project materials—whether it be a sequence, a specific clip, a precise frame, or the physical media files on your drives.

Rather than hunting and pecking through your bins, folders, and drives to find what you need, tap into the useful searching and locating tools built into the software.

What makes great video editing? A lot of things come into play, but two of the biggest factors are a) choosing the best shots and b) establishing the proper timing and pacing. And every editor knows that meeting these goals takes a lot of time, patience, and experimentation. It’s through testing various options that we often arrive at the best solution.

Each editing software offers various methods for testing different shots, but one exciting tool is Final Cut Pro X Auditions; it’s a really elegant way to quickly sample and swap out different shot options.

In this week’s Video Post Tips Weekly tutorials, I explore all things Auditions. If you’re brand new to the technique, dive right in. And if you’re already using Auditions, rest assured we’ll cover plenty of advanced techniques that you may not know. This article will cover the basics; watch the tutorials to get much more detail.

Video titles are not just for conveying information and providing labels. When executed well, they can establish a style and aesthetic, add texture and depth—and in certain cases, they can even assume a personality or become a character within the film. (To have some fun exploring creative title sequences, check out Art of the Title.)

Sometimes creative titling entails heavy text-based motion graphics work; other times, it involves an intricate intermingling of text, video, and animation. And occasionally, the relationship between video and titles can combine to become one; inserting video footage inside of your titles makes them come alive and gives them visual context that text alone can’t provide.

In this week’s Video Post Tips Weekly, discover how you can edit video inside of your titles using Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X, and Avid Media Composer.

“Vignette” is one of those classic French words that has permeated the English language on a number of levels.

In the world of film, the vignette has been one of the most common lighting techniques for decades. And in recent years, digital post-production workflows have made the video vignette easier to create than ever before.

In this week’s Video Post Tips Weekly, we explore how to create vignettes in both Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X. And in this article, I’ll show you the merits of using different types of vignettes—as well as when the technique might become overused or cliché.